The Rose
by Dazzlious
Summary: Does anyone really care about Severus Snape enough to send him a Valentine, or is it just a joke?
1. Valentine's Day

I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from JK Rowling's fantastic books or films, I'm just borrowing and playing with them for a little while and get no monetary reward for doing so

A/N: _Initially this was just a bittersweet little drabble about Snape receiving a Valentine's Day gift, but then it grew and suddenly it was a proper tale. The story is AU, as it begins in the seventh year of Harry Potter's time at school but completely ignores anything that happened in the Deathly Hallows and pretty much anything after about halfway through the Half Blood Prince. So in this story the war hasn't yet happened, although Voldemort is in the process of consolidating his grip on the Ministry of Magic, and none of the major players have died (although that doesn't mean they won't in the future as war may well be coming; but this won't be covered here) and, of course, our beloved Severus Snape is back to being the Potions Master. Enjoy! Dx_

* * *

He opened the door of the classroom and walked slowly over to his desk. There in the centre, as there had been every year for the previous five years was a single perfect, blood-red rose and an envelope with the letters SS carefully etched on the front. He smiled wistfully and picked up the envelope. He knew before he even opened it what would be inside: a plain hammered cream card bearing the picture of a single red heart. The inside of the card would be empty except for one exquisite rose-pink lipstick kiss.

As he opened the flap he wondered if maybe, this year, he would finally find out the identity of his secret admirer. He checked carefully to see if there was any clue. He lifted the card to his nose. His excellent sense of smell detected something, the faint aroma of . . . what? His heart leapt, but he couldn't quite work out what the scent was although he knew he recognised it from somewhere. Soon he was feeling quite as dejected as before.

Hearing a noise, he looked up and saw that the Headmaster had entered the room. Snape picked up the rose, holding it carefully, and looked quizzically at him. Dumbledore smiled.

"Ah, Severus, I see that St Valentine has found you once again." Dumbledore's voice was light and happy.

The Potions Master scowled. "I have no idea why I am fortunate enough to have been singled out yet again, Albus."

Dumbledore smiled even more brightly. "Well, obviously, my dear boy, someone out there regards you with higher esteem than that with which you regard yourself. Surely even your heart is gladdened by the fact that someone in this big, wide world cares for you?"

Snape swallowed, then said thickly, "Albus, you know what I am, what I've done. . . ." His voice trailed off as he looked bleakly at the Headmaster.

"Yes, Severus, and I know that you deserve to be loved just as much as anyone else," Dumbledore said kindly, patting the younger man's hand.

Snape just shook his head dejectedly. "I don't feel that way, though," he said mournfully. "Whoever sends these gifts is wasting their time with me."

Dumbledore looked at him sadly. "What a shame you can't even enjoy this gift, Severus," he said quietly. "I am sure your admirer would be distraught if she knew the roses made you unhappy."

"I am not unhappy with the roses, Headmaster," Snape replied quickly.

Dumbledore smiled again. Snape looked at him, his eyes narrowing slightly. "So do you know who has been sending them to me, old man? I know that you know everything that goes on around here."

Dumbledore laughed lightly. "Severus, I have told you many times that I do not know everything; and in this instance, no, I do not know who your admirer is." He chuckled. "Of course, even if I did, do you really think I would tell you?" His blue eyes were twinkling now. "However, I am sure that if you really wanted to find out, you could. And I think maybe this year would be the right time."

Once again he had that infuriating smile on his face. With this final comment the Headmaster left, leaving Snape looking at his gifts once more before moving them quickly into his office so they wouldn't be seen by his students.

He was touched by the gifts more than he liked to admit. He knew he wasn't a popular teacher. In fact, that was something of an understatement. He was pretty much despised throughout the school. His teaching methods were strict, and although he achieved excellent results this didn't make him any more liked. He was slightly biased in favour of his own House, but he knew the other Heads of House were all biased toward their own pupils, too, so he felt no qualms about that although it didn't help his reputation. Neither did the fact that he was an ugly man, with a large, beaked nose and long hair, greasy from working with potions all day, with a countenance that favoured a scowl rather than a smile.

He remembered back to the first time he had entered his classroom and seen the rose and card waiting for him. Being a naturally suspicious man he had automatically assumed they had been placed there as a joke, probably something dreamt up by that fop Gilderoy Lockhart, although surely then there would have been hearts and cupids flying around all over the place just like the travesty in the Great Hall that morning.

Having checked that they weren't charmed, he had picked them up and dumped them unceremoniously on the desk in his office. Reaching for the envelope, he was stunned to discover that it was a Valentine's card. Okay, so now he knew it had to be a joke; but somehow, against all reason, that didn't appear to be the case. A strange feeling ran through him at the thought that it appeared someone actually cared about him enough to send him a card and that beautiful rose.

His first class that day, the second year Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, had arrived shortly after. The students may have been a little surprised that their normally caustic Potions Master appeared to be in a slightly better mood than usual, although of course they couldn't have known why. This feeling of goodwill had lasted right up until his second year Slytherin/Gryffindor class later that afternoon, when "saint" Potter had managed to completely ruin his day.

Later that evening Snape had sat in front of the fire in his room with a glass of Firewhisky in one hand and the perfect rose in the other, trying to work out who had sent it. Another look at the card had revealed no hints and eventually he had given up, deciding that it was probably a hoax after all, although a tiny part of him hoped otherwise. But soon the rose and card were forgotten and life continued as normal.

Imagine his surprise, then, when the following year he found yet another perfect rose and a duplicate of the original card once again waiting on his desk. Without Lockhart's gaudy celebrations Snape had completely forgotten it was Valentine's Day, and his heart automatically skipped a beat when he saw the gifts lying on his desk.

Once again there was no clue as to the sender. Once again his mood lifted slightly and he generally had a good day, although one of his best third year Hufflepuff students had to be given detention for daydreaming and almost ruining her potion, something she had done several times of late. As she was normally a quiet and sensible girl, he was concerned about her falling standards and mellowed by the Valentine gift, he decided that rather than the usual stern lecture and further detentions, which would probably do more harm than good, he would instead have a talk with Pomona about the student when he got the chance. Once again, at the end of the evening the rose and card were taken to his quarters and he contemplated them in the firelight over a drink.

And so this had continued every year since. He was surprised once more in the third year it had occurred, but by the fourth he remembered the date and waited anxiously to see whether the gift would appear again, although he would never have admitted that, even to himself. He was still none the wiser about the sender. He couldn't tell if it was a pupil or a teacher—and if it was a pupil, what year was he or she in? Had the person left the school by now?

To his delight the rose and card were there as usual, and just as annoyingly as in the previous three years there was still nothing to give away the identity of the sender. He briefly wondered whether maybe Albus was sending them in an attempt to keep his spirits up but looking again at the kiss in the card, he knew that wasn't the case, although it was clear that the old man knew about the gifts. The previous year he had been determined to be in his classroom early to see if he could catch the sender, but the Headmaster had come to see him with an urgent summons and by the time Snape returned the culprit had been and gone. He was convinced that the Headmaster had known his intention and had foiled it. This was confirmed later in the day when Albus told him good-naturedly that had Severus been in the room, Albus was sure no gift would have been delivered. Of course that was probably true, but it didn't get Snape any closer to knowing who his admirer was, he thought grumpily. As he looked at the rose over his Firewhisky that evening he wondered what he would do if he did ever actually manage to find out who was sending them.

He heard the sound of his students arriving, so he placed this year's rose and card carefully in the drawer of his desk and made his way back into the classroom. The current class was a mixed blessing—his seventh year N.E.W.T. students. On the one hand they were supposedly the best students in the school, as he only accepted those whose O.W.L.s were Outstanding; but somehow, thanks to Horace Slughorn, who had taught the class the year before, Longbottom, the bane of Snape's life, had managed to scrape through and now couldn't be removed from the course. As had Malfoy, Potter, Weasley, and that infernally annoying Granger girl, who was admittedly brilliant but also a complete pain in the arse. Fortunately, the rest of the class was made up of generally sensible students, several of whom had the ability to become quite accomplished potion makers if they were inclined to put in the required study.

Scowling around the room as he waited for the class to settle down, Snape spotted Sarah Steadman. She was the quiet Muggle-born Hufflepuff who had almost blown up the school several times in her third year due to her daydreaming. He reflected that he was glad he had taken the time to point out her problems to her Head of House rather than applying his usual tactic of intimidation. After his tactful intervention, Pomona had talked to the girl and there had been no repeat problems. In fact, she had gone on to be one of his best students. He had high hopes that she, unlike her stupid, brave Gryffindor colleagues, would choose potion-making as a career, either through an apprenticeship or working in a hospital or one of the Ministry-run laboratories, rather than becoming an Auror. As he looked at the quiet girl he mused about the possibility of Hogwarts offering her an apprenticeship. His mood lightened by the card and rose, he decided he would discuss the possibility of such a position later with the Headmaster.

He waved his wand at the board and the ingredients for that day's potion appeared. In his dark, silky voice he instructed the class as to what he expected of them. Happy enough to leave them to their potion making, he sat down behind his desk and started grading first year essays on the properties of Bezoars. Gods, the pupils really were getting stupider every year, he thought as he covered yet another parchment in red ink. He looked up to check on progress, and as he glanced around at his students his mind subconsciously slipped back to the rose and card in his desk drawer. He was sure Albus knew or had a good idea who the sender was, as he had let something slip that morning. Now, what was it he had said?

Snape thought back. Well, for starters Albus had said "she" would be upset if "she" thought Snape didn't like the roses. So that ruled out a huge part of the school population. Snape had to admit he was rather pleased about this. He was not inclined "that way" and although he had no problems with those who were, he wouldn't have been flattered to find he was receiving attention from a man. Albus had hinted that he should track her down this year, which meant she was either a teacher who would be leaving at the end of the year, or—he looked at the class again with dawning realisation—or she was a student who would likely be leaving at the end of the year.

A puff of smoke drew him back to his surroundings. Of course it was Longbottom who had caused the commotion. It always was. Snape stood up and quickly walked over to the boy's table to see what he had done wrong this time. Fortunately it was nothing serious, but it gave Snape the opportunity to lose Gryffindor a few more points and humiliate Longbottom in front of the Slytherins in the class. It also had the effect of taking his mind off the problem of the rose. Eventually the lesson was finished, and once he had checked that all the cauldrons had been properly cleaned and stacked and the potions bottled and labelled he moved into his office. He had a free period now and decided to relax in his private quarters, as he was teaching the first years after lunch and knew from experience that it was likely to be a stressful lesson.

Gently removing the rose and card from his drawer, he unwarded the door to his quarters and carried them through to the lounge. He placed the items on a small table next to a large wing-backed chair and sank into it, then summoned a house-elf and requested tea.

So his admirer was almost certainly a student, probably a seventh year. This made him feel somewhat uneasy. Whilst that would make the student in question seventeen or maybe even eighteen now, when the first roses had appeared she could have been no older than thirteen. Actually, the more he thought about that the worse it seemed. He tried to imagine which of his students could possibly have had a crush on him for such a long time and was forced to admit he couldn't think of a single one. He supposed one of his Slytherin students might have been behind it, maybe Pansy Parkinson, probably hoping to get extra credit or something, but that didn't seem quite right.

The one thing it did do was convince him that when or if (he wasn't sure now that he wanted to know) he found out the identity of the sender he would give her a stern lecture on how he wasn't the right sort of man for her. He sipped at his tea, feeling somewhat depressed by the whole thing. Too quickly, his free time was gone and he had to get back to the classroom. His mood had gone downhill quickly, not helped by the first years who were every bit as bad as he had anticipated. By the time of the evening meal he was incredibly pissed off with everyone and everything.

Albus obviously noticed this and tried to draw out of him what was wrong, but Snape was in no mood for talking. He ate as quickly as he could manage and then stormed back to his rooms to get on with his marking. Of course he couldn't help turning over in his mind the subject of the female seventh year students. An image of know-it-all Granger popped into his head and he shuddered. Gods! Surely not! He grabbed a large glass of Firewhisky and followed his ritual of the previous years, once again picking up the rose and musing over its origins.

Dumbledore's head appeared in his fireplace in a flash of green light. "Can I have a word, please, Severus?" he asked politely.

Snape shrugged and soon the body of the Headmaster followed his head and he was standing in the room, dusting himself down.

"You seem rather downhearted this evening, Severus," he commented sadly.

Snape ignored the comment and took a large slug of whisky before pouring Albus one as well as another for himself. Dumbledore raised his eyebrows slightly but didn't comment.

"I assume you are focussing on the sender of the Valentine still?"

"No!" The word was spat out. Dumbledore looked surprised. Snape regarded him thoughtfully and continued, "I followed your clues, old man, and I didn't like what I found. I think it's best that I don't think about it any more."

Dumbledore looked both amused and confused. "My clues?" he said. "I'm sorry, Severus, but I distinctly remember telling you that I didn't know who had sent them." He looked intently at the Potions Master.

Snape snorted. "Of course not, Albus," he replied sarcastically.

Dumbledore gazed at him sadly, and shaking his head he stood to leave. "Well, if you wish to be alone . . ." he started.

"Actually, Albus, there is something I want to discuss with you." Snape motioned for the Headmaster to sit back down. He spent the next twenty minutes discussing with Dumbledore his idea for Sarah Steadman to become his potions apprentice. Dumbledore, he had been heartened to discover, seemed to think it was a wonderful idea as he, too, was worried about the growing number of students who were showing an interest in going into the dangerous career of being an Auror. He knew of Sarah's ability in the potions field and felt it would be an advantage to Hogwarts and a great help to Snape if she could be persuaded to take the post. He suggested that Snape draw up a detailed plan explaining exactly how the apprenticeship would work, and he would look into providing suitable accommodation for her. Knowing the mild Hufflepuff girl, both men felt quietly confident that she would accept the position and Snape finished the evening feeling much happier than he had started it.

The rose and card joined the others, and having disposed of them he put them completely out of his mind.

* * *

A few weeks later Sarah Steadman was called to the Headmaster's office. She was a little worried about why she had been asked to go. She had tried hard not to get into trouble after her run-ins with Snape during her third year when she'd had huge problems concentrating, especially in his class. After Madam Sprout, her Head of House, had sat her down for a serious and frank conversation Sarah had completely turned her life around and worked hard to get into the N.E.W.T. classes for all her favourite subjects, and she was always polite to the teachers, making sure to stay out of trouble. She had only once had a detention since then, during her fifth year, and that was because she had been a member of Dumbledore's Army. She was sure that didn't count. She knew she was no angel, but she was a hard worker, always trying to the best of her ability. She had no idea why the Headmaster wanted to see her but hoped it wasn't anything serious or anything upsetting. Once there, she was extremely pleased to discover that it wasn't bad news and she wasn't in trouble. In fact, her hard work had paid off and she was being offered an apprenticeship working with Snape, which would allow her to continue with further study of her favourite subject, Potions. Whilst it was obviously dependent upon her N.E.W.T. results, the Headmaster had explained that he and the Potions Master were confident these weren't likely to be a problem. Sarah had gratefully accepted.

Sarah was one of those students who always stayed at school during the holidays due to having parents who were busy working abroad, and always finding herself shipped off to various distant relatives during the long summer holidays. This always left her longing to be back at school and she had really had no idea what she would do once she was forced to leave Hogwarts. She didn't fancy becoming an Auror, which was the current popular job choice amongst the pupils in her year. It seemed like far too dangerous a job, better suited to people such as Harry Potter, who was always getting into scrapes. She really enjoyed the methodical nature of potions work and had briefly considered making it a career but hadn't exactly been sure how to go about it. The Hogwarts offer gave her both the opportunity to work in her chosen field and to gain experience under a first class Potions Master, with the security of being amid familiar surroundings where she could relax. She was excited to see that she was being given rooms in the dungeons, and Professor Snape had told her she could share his private laboratory once they started working together. She was also pleased as the Headmaster had given her permission to stay at school over the summer holidays in order to sort herself out, so she wouldn't have to spend yet another year with some well-meaning but not overly caring relative.


	2. The Summer Ball

The last few months of term had flown by in a storm of exams—first the O.W.L.s, then the N.E.W.T.s—and with the work Snape was doing, brewing extra calming potions to meet the Hospital Wing's demand after its usual rash of overwrought students and getting his timetable sorted for his new apprentice on top of supervising his House team's Quidditch practices, he had hardly any time to think about anything other than school work. He was therefore not awfully happy to be told at a staff meeting that there was to be a Summer Ball and that all staff were expected to attend. Apparently the Headmaster had decided that with all the bad things going on outside Hogwarts, and after the stress of exams, it would be nice for the students to have a party at which they could unwind. It was to be open to students in the fifth year and above and would also be open to ex-students and ex-staff if they wished to attend.

Snape had already received owls from several former Slytherins, almost all of whom were Death Eaters, expressing an interest in attending and he dreaded having to try to control these people when they were mixing with Muggle-borns. Whilst he knew Lucius Malfoy had impeccable manners, he also knew his tolerance for "Mudbloods", as he called them, was low, and he never missed a chance to make trouble. Snape was convinced that the Ball would be no different.

As the day approached he felt a headache descend on him that he thought he might never shift, and a sense of impending doom settled like a storm cloud around him. However, the students, especially the girls, were extremely excited at the prospect of the Ball. Now that exams were out of the way, few of them seemed to be able to concentrate on anything other than what gown they would wear or who they would go with. Snape had been quite shocked to hear a rumour going around his House that Draco Malfoy intended to ask Snape's new apprentice to go to the Ball with him. Whilst he could, with a major stretch of the imagination, just about imagine Malfoy's easy-going friend Blaise Zabini asking a Muggle-born, there was no way in the world he could imagine the Muggle-hating Draco doing so. If he did, there could only be one reason for it—and that would be for Lucius and the Death Eaters to cause trouble at the Ball.

Snape decided the best way to head off that trouble was to stop it occurring in the first place. Coming across Draco and Blaise as they were leaving the common room one day, he pulled them aside and asked them who they were taking to the Ball, iterating that as House leaders, the pride of Slytherin would be at stake if they didn't have suitable partners. Indeed, Draco announced that he was going to ask Sarah, but he was unable to give a credible excuse as to why he would do such a thing when he so obviously despised Muggle-borns. Eventually, once it became clear that Snape was not going to allow the match, Blaise remarked that he might take her to the Ball himself, leaving Draco free to partner Slytherin "princess" Pansy Parkinson. But Snape wasn't keen on that idea, either. As far as he was concerned, the only way to ensure there was no trouble at the Ball was to make sure none of his House had partners who were Muggle-born.

Later, after one of his own classes, he overheard a conversation between Hermione and Sarah and discovered that Sarah was in fact going to the Ball with both of the Weasley twins, having apparently been unable to decide which one of them to partner and having been asked by both. He grimaced, not entirely sure that they were a better bet with their jokey natures, but at least he knew he count on the Gryffindors would look after their date if trouble should arise. He was surprised to see that Draco seemed extremely put out at the news, certainly more than Snape would have anticipated. Snape was determined to keep an eye on him for the rest of the term to ensure that no nastiness occurred between Draco and Sarah because of her choice of partners.

* * *

Eventually the day of the Ball arrived and the older students' excitement at what was to occur that evening spread throughout the castle, along with disappointment from the younger ones who would miss out. Snape ended up spending most of the afternoon greeting old school acquaintances, desperately trying to keep them in the Slytherin common room until the Ball started. He and the Headmaster definitely didn't need a bunch of Death Eaters wandering wherever they wanted in the castle. The only bright point as far as he could see was that Draco had apparently got over his disappointment at not taking Sarah to the Ball, which Snape hoped would stop some of the nastiness that he was sure was still bubbling away under the surface, just waiting to erupt.

Finally the time came for the Ball to start and he was unable to keep the Slytherins away from the other guests any longer. Snape stood just inside the door surveying the Great Hall, which he had to admit had been beautifully decorated by Filius with a wealth of flowers and sparkling summer lights. He could see Hermione, Ginny, Luna, and Sarah with their dates just to the right of the door, chattering excitedly with each other. With a sweeping glance around the room he noticed how pretty all the female students looked this evening. The ball gowns were certainly an improvement on their usual school robes and uniforms; even the plainer girls seemed to have blossomed with the chance to dress up.

He looked again at the group in front of him. Sarah was resplendent in pale lavender, wearing a tight, figure-hugging dress with a full, flaring skirt. Her short, ash-blonde hair, usually flat around her face, was softly tousled and she wore an Alice band with a large purple flower on it. She matched perfectly with her partners, the Weasley twins, who were both dressed in flowing purple dress robes that clashed violently with their bright red hair. Next to her, Ginny wore a strapless dark green velvet gown that brought out the colour of her vivid red hair, and Luna looked even more ethereal than usual in a long, flowing silver dress, her pale hair shimmering almost as much as her gown. Hermione looked stunning in a simple pale blue dress, her usually wild hair tamed into an elaborate plait. Turning slightly he saw Blaise and Draco lounging by a pillar, both quite obviously staring at Sarah, much to the disgust of their own partners. Snape's heart sank at the sight. Obviously Draco wasn't quite as over Sarah as he had hoped. He would need to keep a close eye on the boy as the evening progressed to ensure that he didn't cause any trouble.

The sound of raucous laughter made him turn again and he saw the Weasley twins guiding their date toward a group of Gryffindors further into the room. He was just in time to see Draco's gaze follow them, his eyes narrowing menacingly. Lucius Malfoy and the other Slytherin ex-students were congregating at the far end of the hall, and from the way Lucius was acting it was clear that he, too, had noticed the laughing girl and her companions. From the door Snape couldn't read the look on Lucius' face properly, but he knew he didn't like the fact that Lucius was so aware of Sarah and he was suddenly fully alert to possible danger. Sarah didn't appear to notice either of the Malfoys as she chatted animatedly with her friends.

It wasn't long before the dancing started and couples moved out to fill the dance floor. Snape moved further round the room to keep an eye on what was happening out there. He didn't dance himself, unlike some of the teachers, but kept a watchful eye on the couples who were dancing to ensure there was no mischief. Sarah took to the floor with one of the twins and they whirled around the room, obviously enjoying themselves immensely. On the next dance the other twin cut in, expertly taking over from the first. This continued for a few more dances until the trio began swapping partners with their friends.

The group were having such a good time they hadn't noticed Draco moving from his place by the pillar. He strode confidently across the room, pushed Potter out of the way, and grabbed hold of Sarah's wrist, whisking her away from Potter and into the general whirl of dancers. Each turn took them further away from her friends and closer to the Slytherins who dominated the far end of the hall. Snape moved immediately, already noticing the Gryffindors' anger at Sarah's abduction, and rapidly made his way to join the Slytherins. This had the capacity to get out of hand rather too quickly for his liking; and he needed to make sure things were calmed down and Sarah was returned to her friends. But by the time he got there Draco had already ceded his dancing partner to his father.

Snape recognised the look on Lucius' face well enough this time and saw that Sarah was trying not to look afraid as he pulled her closer to him, leaning in to whisper in her ear as he moved her even deeper into Slytherin territory. Snape had no idea what was happening but he knew he had to get her away from Lucius and the Slytherins immediately. Without pausing, he strode over to the couple, taking hold of Sarah's arm whilst at the same time informing Lucius that he felt it was high time he danced with his apprentice. He gave a slight smirk, well aware that Lucius had no choice but to cede to him. Taking Sarah's hand, Snape waltzed away with her, leaving Lucius glaring angrily at the two of them. Snape danced smoothly, slowly making his way back down to the other end of the room, until eventually they were back with Sarah's friends where he let the twins cut in, warning them to keep a close eye on her. As soon as he was sure Sarah was safe once more he went to talk to the Headmaster.

Dumbledore had been watching the Malfoys' dance-floor antics and asked Snape to return to the Slytherins to see what he could discover. There should be no reason for Sarah to be important to them, except as an excuse to cause trouble. Slowly, once again keeping his eye on the dancers, Snape made his way back to the far end of the room. He picked up two glasses of punch on his way, offering one to Lucius once he arrived at his side. The blond man accepted, although his manner was somewhat stiff. For a few minutes the two of them watched the dancers in silence; Lucius was still bristling, but he slowly began to calm. The Weasleys and Sarah came into view again, the three of them laughing at some shared joke. The twins were staying by her side like an honour guard, taking it in turns to swing her around but never once letting her out of their grasp. Lucius was gazing openly at her, making no pretence of hiding his interest.

"Hmmm, she's a lovely girl, isn't she?" he said coolly. Snape said nothing to this but waited to hear his friend's thoughts. "I understand Draco is rather fond of her." Lucius smiled thinly.

"Is he?" Snape asked coldly. "I didn't think any of your acquaintances or family were interested in Muggle-borns as friends, Lucius." He tried not to think about Lucius' sexual preferences, which he knew very much included Muggles.

Lucius laughed high and cold. "Well, she doesn't look particularly Muggle, and I hear she is a very powerful witch. With the way things are going we all must make new friends wherever we can find them, Severus."

_Ah, so that's it, _thought Snape, _it's about her power_.

He scowled as he replied to his friend, "Well, I don't know about that, but she is excellent at potions, which is why I chose her to become my apprentice."

"Oh, yes, I heard about that," Lucius drawled dismissively. He looked again at the dancing girl. "To be honest, Severus, I'm not really sure I see her as a Potions Mistress," he mused. "Still, we shall see." Lucius smiled widely but it never reached his ice-grey eyes. "Perhaps you could bring her as your guest to our garden party next month," he suggested smoothly. Snape raised an eyebrow in surprise. "I am sure she would be quite the asset to our gathering, and I am equally sure Draco would be very pleased to see her. And of course she'll make you look good, too." He smiled again, and once again Snape didn't comment.

Looking back towards the entrance he saw Professor McGonagall gesturing for him to help her. Taking his leave of Lucius, he moved back around the room until he reached the centre where Draco and his date Pansy were having a huge and very public argument right near where the twins and Sarah were dancing whilst they watched the couple. Snape hurried over to break up the argument, needing to move Malfoy away from the Hufflepuff girl in case it was just a diversion that might allow something else to happen to her. He snapped angrily at the twins as he went past and they rapidly moved with their date to a spot closer to the Headmaster. Snape bore down on the arguing Slytherins with a dreadful look on his face. They stopped brangling immediately and looked at their House Master, Pansy looking scared and Draco defiant.

"What on earth do you two think you are doing?" Snape hissed loudly.

"Draco wouldn't dance with me," Pansy pouted. "He's only interested in getting to that filthy Mudblood." She was screechy and almost hysterical, not caring about what she said or who heard her. Draco looked at her scornfully.

"I suggest," Snape said slowly, quietly and completely menacingly, "that you calm down and stop embarrassing yourself and your House. I will not disgrace the House further by throwing you both out, but you will go and sit quietly with your friends and cause no more trouble. Twenty points from Slytherin, and I will see you both in my office tomorrow evening at eight o'clock for detention." He watched as Draco and Pansy sloped over to the rest of the Slytherins, the deep scowl on his face telling everyone that he was not at all happy with their behaviour.

With the relegation of Draco and his cronies to the Slytherin part of the hall, the rest of the evening went smoothly. Lucius had obviously soon realised he would have no further access to his quarry and settled down to enjoy a good old-fashioned reunion with his Death Eater chums instead. Snape was still worried that they might try something else, especially once they'd had a few drinks, but it seemed they were quite happy chatting, drinking, and dancing. When the evening ended, they all left quietly and without any fuss.

* * *

Once the summer holidays started, Snape found he was almost as busy as during term time. He had many potions to replenish for the Hospital Wing and was honestly pleased that Sarah had stayed at the school to get settled into her new role as apprentice as she was more than happy to start straight away and help him out. He found that he enjoyed working with her; she was conscientious about her work and didn't chatter incessantly. In fact, only a couple of weeks had passed but their relationship was as relaxed as if they had been working together for years. He looked forward to starting her formal training and silently congratulated himself on making the decision to employ her. As they, the Headmaster, and Hagrid were the only persons still on school grounds, Snape and Sarah often ate in Snape's quarters, where his private laboratory was based, rather than making the trek to the Great Hall.

Snape had intended to take his usual couple of weeks off to have a holiday and re-charge his batteries before the start of the new school year but found he was loathe to leave his apprentice in the school on her own, knowing she had nowhere to go. He still had the Malfoys' annual garden party to deal with, too. He had discussed with Albus his conversation with Lucius during the Ball and told him of the invitation for Sarah to join them, expressing his fear that Lucius was planning something if she went to the party but also that he would be offended if she didn't attend. Albus had suggested that he discuss it with Sarah and see what she wanted to do.

Surprisingly, it appeared that Sarah understood the situation rather better than he had expected her to. Although she didn't like the Malfoys she was determined not to let them scare her and was sure that like the bullies they were, their attentions towards her would only get worse if she didn't face them down. So she convinced Snape that she should accept the invitation and accompany him to the party, but only on the condition that he didn't let her out of his sight at any point while they were there. She was adamant that there was no way she wanted to be left alone with Draco, or even worse, with Lucius. And so it was that on a lovely, warm afternoon in August, after Snape had ensured that Sarah was prepared for what was to follow, they left the school grounds and Apparated to the Malfoys' mansion.

Although there was a great deal of suspicion from many of the guests at Sarah's arrival with Snape—after all, the Death Eaters weren't used to having to socialise with Mudbloods—Lucius was the epitome of graciousness. After sincerely complimenting Sarah on how beautiful she looked, he insisted on keeping her company for the entire afternoon. Snape had no idea where Narcissa was or why she wasn't shooting Sarah venomous looks as she would normally do to any woman who was taking up so much of Lucius' attention. He knew that whilst the icy woman tolerated what Lucius did in private, having no real interest in her husband other than his money and status, she didn't allow his eye to rove in public. Normally she would have been all over him, making it clear that she was his wife; the fact that she didn't appear to be at the party at all made Snape even more suspicious of Lucius' motives in inviting Sarah to the party.

On several occasions Lucius had tried to get rid of Snape in an attempt to spend some time alone with Sarah. He introduced Snape to several new acquaintances, all of whom seemed eager to talk to him. But as Sarah refused to let go of Snape's arm, Lucius soon realised that if he was going to spend any time with her he would be stuck with the taciturn man as well. He then tried to separate her in a different way, suggesting that she and Draco spend some time together whilst he and Snape talked "business"; but Sarah wasn't eager to leave Snape then, either. Eventually Lucius had no choice but to give up on whatever it was he had been trying to achieve.

Snape was surprised at just how tightly Sarah had clung to him for the entire afternoon, except when she was talking to the other women. He had no idea what she was discussing with them but thought it might have had something to do with him, as Celia Parkinson and Jemima Goyle had both given him incredibly searching looks at one point. He wasn't entirely sure what Sarah was saying, but he was sure that as soon as he joined them the subject had changed abruptly. Snape was aware of the tension in the air building up as the afternoon went on with Lucius and Draco unable to get any closer to Sarah. As soon as it was possible to do so politely, he made their excuses and took her back to the school.


	3. Back to School

A/N: _Thank you to everyone who is reading and especially to those who have reviewed. I really appreciate it. Thanks too as always to my beta Mamacita._

* * *

It wasn't until a couple of weeks later that they finally discovered what Lucius was up to. There were only two days left before school was due to re-open and all the teachers were now back in the castle, ensuring that everything was prepared before the influx of students from the Hogwarts Express. They had all congregated, as was the custom, for a leisurely breakfast and informal meeting with the Headmaster. It wasn't long before the post owls began to appear with copies of the _Daily Prophet_ for all of them and the occasional letter. As they unrolled their newspapers, none of the teachers could miss the banner and article on the front page.

"New Betrothal Law"

The Ministry of Magic has finally acknowledged that the wizarding world is in danger as the continued inter-marrying of the pure-blood lines causes more and more stillbirths, Squibs, and barren children. In an attempt to save the old families, the Ministry of Magic has announced that a new law has been put into place. Under this law, any pure-blood can petition for a betrothal contract that gives them full legal power over an unmarried Muggle-born over the age of seventeen. Enacting this law has been deemed necessary as the Ministry has discovered that Muggle families feel betrothal contracts are "old-fashioned" and they would rather let their children "fall in love".

Pius Thicknesse, Minister for Magic, said today that it was vital that Muggle-borns play their part in helping the magical world retain its powers, and that they should be grateful for being given the opportunity to ally themselves with the old pure-blood families.

Adrian Pucey, from the newly formed Department of Contracts, has provided the _Prophet_ with further details of the Law.

All unmarried Muggle-borns over the age of seventeen will be eligible for contracts;

If a candidate receives more than one contract offer, the candidate will decide which offer to accept. There will be no question of a Muggle-born not accepting a contract;

All contract decisions must be made within thirty days of receipt of an offer.

A ripple of surprise and anger surged round the table as all the teachers expressed their disbelief and disgust at the new law which was so clearly biased in favour of pure-bloods. Only a couple of minutes later an owl arrived for Sarah carrying an envelope that bore the official Ministry seal. The whole table watched silently as she opened the letter and read the contents, her face draining of colour. Snape had a nasty feeling that he already knew what the letter contained, but as the closest person to her he pulled it out of her hand and read it out loud for everyone to hear.

"_The Ministry wishes to inform Miss Sarah Jane Steadman that a petition has been made by Mr Draco Lucius Malfoy for a betrothal contract. This contract shall become legally binding in thirty days from receipt of this letter. Miss Steadman must present herself at the Ministry of Magic Department of Contracts at nine a.m. on 29th September 1998 to complete the betrothal."_

Minerva McGonagall and Pomona Sprout both immediately rushed to comfort Sarah whilst the other teachers reacted verbally, all shocked at the letter. Only Dumbledore and Snape appeared to be unsurprised by it. Poppy Pomfrey, the school nurse, asked Sarah if she wanted a calming potion, although it was clear that whilst shocked, Sarah was taking it all rather well. Having checked that she was all right and not likely to collapse in tears or do something stupid, Dumbledore sent her back down to the dungeons to continue with her potion making and then asked Snape to accompany him to his office. Once there the Headmaster's face turned far more serious than usual, his bright blue eyes no longer twinkling and he gave a loud sigh.

"So now we know what Lucius is up to," he said sadly. "Although I still don't quite understand what the Malfoys hope to gain from the arrangement, as I'm certain Draco isn't in love with the girl."

"Actually, I think it might be worse than it seems," Snape said tersely. Dumbledore looked at him quizzically.

"Lucius made his personal interest in Sarah quite clear to me both at the Ball and during his garden party. He is especially interested in her magical power. Whilst she may, in the eyes of the law, be betrothed to Draco, I am sure that in reality she will belong to Lucius—and I think we both know what that means." Snape scowled angrily.

Dumbledore sighed again. "What we need to do, Severus, is work out a way to stop this. I shall contact the Ministry immediately to get clarification about what the law entails and discover exactly what is required to stop this betrothal from taking place." He paused for a moment and frowned. "I assume we are correct in thinking that Sarah doesn't want to marry Draco? She did seem awfully calm about the whole thing."

Snape scowled again. "I'm sure she was just shocked by the letter, Albus. As far as I am aware there has never been anything between Sarah and Draco until his sudden interest in her at the Summer Ball. I can't believe she would happily submit to this betrothal, although I will ask her, if you wish."

Dumbledore looked thoughtfully at Snape for a moment, then shook his head. "No. I'm sure you're quite right, Severus. I think it would be better to leave talking to Sarah until we have further information on exactly what this new law entails, although if she becomes distressed about the situation you might want to reassure her."

Snape looked confusedly at Dumbledore. How was he supposed to reassure Sarah when he had no help or advice to give her?

Dumbledore saw his look and gave a small smile. "Just reassuring her that we can find a way out of her predicament will be a help," he said. "She trusts you, so she'll believe you are doing your best to help her."

"I don't want to lie to her, Albus," Snape said unhappily.

"It's not a lie," Dumbledore answered soothingly. "I'm certain we will be able to find a way out of this betrothal one way or another. You'll see."

Snape noticed that he had that infernal gleam in his eye once more.

* * *

Dumbledore steepled his hands, his elbows resting on the desk. He blew on his fingers absentmindedly as he thought about what he had discovered from the Ministry. It turned out that Lucius Malfoy had—surprisingly, considering his well-known dislike of Muggles—been a consultant on the betrothal law and had been instrumental in getting it passed so quickly. There had—not so surprisingly—been some hesitance about passing a law which basically forced people who did not want to be together to marry, so Lucius had cleverly introduced the idea of the betrothal as a way to get the law passed, with the silken assurance that not using the word "marriage" would make people far more inclined to agree to the contracts. Whilst it would be just as restrictive as the bonds of marriage would be, it sounded far more pleasant and gave the impression of a certain amount of freedom.

But it was actually far more insidious. Albus had discovered that part of the betrothal ritual included a bonding ceremony that had been specially devised to join the magic of the couple being betrothed. It had been explained to him that there was no malicious intent and that the only reason this was being done was to enable the betrothed couples to become closer far more quickly than might be the case if they were left to their own devices; but he was absolutely certain that this was just another clever ruse. It was clear that the Malfoys' interest in adding Sarah to their family was to acquire her magical power, which would be Draco's to use once the betrothal was completed.

It was ingenious, Dumbledore thought. Unable to get rid of the Muggle-borns without causing a major uproar, Lucius and his friends at the Ministry had instead worked out a way to subjugate the Muggle-borns' magic and use it for their own ends. Once betrothed and bonded to their pure-blood partners, the Muggle-borns' magic could be harnessed and used by the pure-blood partner and there would be nothing they could do to stop it. As the article had said, it was true that the pure-blood lines were becoming weaker because of in-breeding. The influx of Muggle-borns into the various family trees _would_ undoubtedly help to restore future children to the magical power their ancestors once had, but they would also be giving their own, in some cases quite considerable power, to their new families, too. Whilst in most cases this wasn't likely to be a problem and might even be something the pure-blood partner never explored or used, it was clear that in cases like the Malfoys' the additional magic would be used to aid the Dark Lord in his takeover of the country.

There was absolutely nothing Dumbledore could do to stop the law from being enacted, nor could he control the pure-bloods who chose to take Muggle-borns as their betrothed. But he could stop Lucius from using Sarah—both her magic, and if his and Severus' suspicions were correct, using her sexually—because it turned out that Lucius had overlooked one very important thing, and it was just the loophole Dumbledore needed.

"What we need is for Sarah to get married to someone else," Dumbledore said thoughtfully. He had called Snape to his office to discuss what he had discovered about the marriage law.

Snape gave a sharp bark of laughter. "Oh, well done, Albus," he said sarcastically. "Is that all you've managed to come up with? Not exactly the greatest use of your formidable talent. Did you have someone in mind, or are we just going to press-gang someone into it?"

Dumbledore looked intently at Snape for a moment before replying, "I thought you could marry her, Severus."

Snape gaped at him. "Me! Are you joking, Albus?" He looked at the Headmaster and realised he was completely serious about the idea. He shook his head. "It's not possible."

Dumbledore regarded him for a moment and then asked quietly, "Are you not willing to help Sarah, then, Severus?"

Snape looked pained. "Of course I would help her if I could, Albus, but I'm only a half-blood, not a pure-blood, and I'm not in a position to raise an opposing contract."

Dumbledore shook his head as if this was a misunderstanding that was easily sorted. "You don't need to be a pure-blood. Sarah is perfectly free to get married to whomever she wishes. The marriage law doesn't _yet_ forbid Muggle-borns to marry anyone but pure-bloods, and whilst this is the case you are entirely within your rights to make the offer, Severus." He smiled at his friend, "An oversight on Lucius' part, obviously, but rather useful to us in this particular instance."

Snape considered Dumbledore's words, then asked, "Do you think it fair for Sarah to be stuck with me as her husband? Surely someone better can be found for her if she really is free to marry anyone."

Dumbledore shook his head again, a touch of wry amusement on his face. "Why do you always insist on seeing only the worst in yourself, Severus? I do not think Sarah will be disappointed with you as her husband. Would she be any better off betrothed to Draco Malfoy?" He saw Snape's scowl at the mention of the blond boy. "As I'm sure you're aware, Sarah doesn't have much time. If Lucius discovers this loophole you can bet he will do something to close it. You are available and can marry her immediately without any need for a betrothal contract, and you'll be able to provide the support she will need once the marriage becomes common knowledge."

Snape was still scowling. "But what sort of life would she have with me?" he asked bleakly. "I have nothing to offer, nothing that she would likely want."

Dumbledore laughed. "Ah, Severus, my dear boy, you would offer her exactly what she has now." Snape looked at him in confusion. "What do you think will happen to Sarah if she ends up betrothed to Draco?" Dumbledore asked seriously. "Do you think she will be given her freedom to continue in her job? Do you think she will be allowed to stay at Hogwarts?" Snape slowly shook his head. "No, of course she won't. She'll be locked away in Malfoy Manor, where Draco—and Lucius, of course—will be able to do whatever they like with her. I don't imagine her life is likely to be very pleasant, is it?"

"But she'll be married to me," Snape pointed out. "She'll be lumbered with a husband she doesn't want or need."

Dumbledore sighed. "I believe Sarah will be more content with you than with the Malfoys, and I'm sure you'll be happy to allow her the freedom to follow her career if she should choose it."

Snape thought about his young apprentice and the choices, or rather, lack of choices she had. Albus was right that life with the Malfoys would be no bed of roses; he was correct, too, that once Lucius discovered his error with the betrothal law he would do everything in his power to stop Sarah from escaping the net he had cast over her. But could Snape give her the life she deserved, as Albus seemed to believe he would? Whilst his intentions may be good in attempting to free her from the prospect of a miserable and unfair union with the Malfoys, he wasn't sure he could provide anything better. He was still living a lie, his double life leaving him exposed to danger at every turn, and having a wife would make it so much harder for him to just blindly do what needed to be done. Also, if he was honest, he had never seen himself as being married. Oh, there had been a time many years before when the idea of marriage had seemed desirable. But events and time had taken away that dream, and for many years now he had been alone, so long that he wasn't at all sure he could play the part of husband with any real feeling.

And to cap it all, Sarah was so damn young. Lucius was doing the sensible thing and hiding his interest in Sarah behind his son. What would people say when they knew Snape had married his apprentice? He knew what he would think if he were confronted with an ugly old man married to a pretty young woman, and it wasn't pleasant. But then, what other choice did she have? She was at least a good worker, and they got on well enough. And of course he _would_ be happy to support her in her career, even if it meant her leaving Hogwarts once her apprenticeship was complete. But would what he had to offer be enough?

"Are you still having doubts about this, Severus?" Dumbledore asked gently.

"What about my spying?" Snape asked bluntly. "How am I supposed to keep that a secret from Sarah if we're spending a considerable amount of time together?"

"I know it's not the perfect situation, but I'm sure you can come up with some story to explain your absences. What Sarah doesn't know doesn't have the power to hurt her," Dumbledore replied sympathetically.

Snape scowled. "I don't want to lie to her, especially if she's my wife," he said stiffly.

"Then I suggest you have a good hard think about what you're going to tell her," Dumbledore replied equally forcefully. "Severus, I know this isn't ideal by any stretch of the imagination, but I think you're worrying unnecessarily. Perhaps, if it makes you feel better, you should discuss it with Sarah. If you discover she is unwilling to accept you as her husband, or you still feel uncomfortable about it after you've talked, then we shall have to see what other arrangements can be made, although I don't believe for one minute they will be anywhere near as satisfactory as the current proposal."

Snape knew he was beaten. He could argue with Albus until he was blue in the face, but the old man had made his decision and wasn't willing to even consider any other option unless and until it was made clear to him that Sarah didn't want the marriage. Snape knew that regardless of what the Headmaster had said, his own unease about the union would have absolutely no bearing on what was to happen. If Sarah agreed to the wedding, they would be married. No argument that he could put forward would sway Dumbledore's ideas.

"All right, I'll talk to her," Snape agreed, making it clear with his tone that he would be doing so under duress.

But Dumbledore was a wily old bird, and knowing the way Snape was likely to portray himself in any conversation with Sarah, was ready for him.

"Well, as that's settled we might as well get Sarah in here now and explain things to her. We can see what her response is and go from there." He beamed infuriatingly at Snape, his eyes glittering once more, and Snape had the urge to punch him.

Dumbledore summoned a house-elf and requested that it go and inform Sarah that he wished to speak to her immediately. He also placed an order for some tea and cake then sat, still beaming at Snape, whilst they waited for both to arrive.

"I assume this has nothing to do with Voldemort directly?" Dumbledore asked a few moments later, after he had explained to Snape what he had discovered about the betrothal contracts.

"I don't think so," Snape said. "I know the idea is to harness the magic of Muggle-borns to aid him in his quest for domination, and it has the added bonus of stopping them from opposing him, but I don't think he would have that personal an interest in who Sarah is betrothed to. I think any Death Eater would do the job just as well as the Malfoys."

Dumbledore nodded his head. "That's exactly what I was thinking, which is another reason you are the perfect one to take on this task. If there is no personal stake, Voldemort is unlikely to be unhappy about you replacing Draco and Lucius."

"Except that it won't be the betrothal ceremony," Snape pointed out. "The marriage ceremony doesn't include that bonding of magical power."

"True, but I'm sure if it came to it, Sarah would agree to the bonding. It may not be necessary. It just depends how much of this came from Voldemort and how much from Lucius. It wouldn't surprise me if Voldemort knew very little about it and Lucius plans to harness the magic to help himself."

Snape scowled. "You're assuming that Sarah will agree to the marriage. We don't know that for certain yet. And it doesn't make sense about Lucius wanting the power for himself. Sarah would be betrothed to Draco, not Lucius, and he couldn't access her magic. I believe his interest in her is carnal rather than anything else."

"You're quite right, Severus. We should wait to see what Sarah has to say before making any further decisions," Dumbledore said, that annoying smile back on his face. "But I think we all know Lucius wouldn't hesitate to use Draco to further his own ends, and if he and Sarah are betrothed Lucius will have her magic, even if he has to use it through his son."

At the sound of the moving stairs, he turned to look at the door. A moment later there was a knock.

"Let Sarah in, Severus," Dumbledore requested.

He watched as the tall man stood and made his way to the door. A few seconds later Sarah appeared, looking a little apprehensive. Dumbledore smiled at her brightly.

"Welcome, Sarah. No need to be worried. Please come and sit down. We are just about to have some tea and cake. I hope you will join us."

As Dumbledore said this there was a pop, and a large tea tray appeared in the middle of his desk. He looked at the cake in the centre of the tray and smiled. "Coffee and walnut, from the looks of things," he said happily. "That will make a nice change." He picked up the knife and cut into the cake.

Sarah waited expectantly whilst the Headmaster cut the cake and poured the tea, passing both to her and Snape before looking across the desk at her with his friendliest smile on his face.

"As you will know from Severus, I promised to update you on what I discovered at the Ministry with regard to the betrothal contracts." He took a small sip of his tea, then said, "Before we continue I would just like you to confirm whether or not you wish to accept Draco's proposal."

Sarah shook her head vehemently, a small frown crossing her face. "No, I don't want to be stuck with Draco . . . or his father."

Dumbledore smiled again, "Quite so, my dear. I understand entirely. I spoke to Mr Pucey about the formal arrangements for the betrothal scheme and he informed me there was no way a contract could be cancelled unless another contract had already been accepted. The betrothal ceremony gives your partner full dominion over you and involves a special bonding which allows him access to your magic for his own use, and we believe it is for this reason that the Malfoys are so eager for you to join them."

Sarah looked unhappy at Dumbledore's words. As he took a bite of his cake she asked, "So is there nothing that can be done to free me from the contract, Headmaster?"

Dumbledore smiled again. "Ah, well. That's a very good question. You see, whilst you can't turn down a contract, as the law _currently_ stands there is nothing to say that you _only_ have to accept a contract. This means that if you were to get married before the contract became due, you would be spared the distress of being forced into a union with young Mr Malfoy." He watched Sarah's expression carefully as he added, "The important part of this is that you are free to marry absolutely anyone you choose, unlike the contract where you are limited to only pure-blood choices."

"But that still means I have to find someone to marry me, and quickly, too," Sarah said, sounding a little disheartened. "To be honest, Headmaster, I don't really know all that many men, and I don't think it would be fair to drop that sort of bombshell on Fred or George. So thank you for finding out for me, but I think, unfortunately, I have no choice but to accept Draco's contract."

"I am aware of the short time scale involved, but I think we may have a solution, if you are agreeable." Dumbledore's eye twinkled once again as he saw the look of hope that spread across Sarah's face at his words. He looked at Snape. "Severus, perhaps you would care to explain?"

Snape nodded stiffly in response, then looked at Sarah. "Sarah, I am aware I don't really have much to offer you, but I would be happy to marry you, if you wish it. You can be assured that marriage to me would in no way impact your work or future career."

Sarah looked at Snape in astonishment for a moment, then just as he began to mentally curse Albus for making him do this a smile broke out on her face and she nodded.

"Yes," she whispered to the surprised teacher. "Ask me, please."

Snape looked at her for a moment, wondering what she meant, and then it dawned on him. Sarah wanted him to ask her formally. Astonished that she had agreed so readily, he took a deep breath and asked, "Sarah, would you do me the very great honour of becoming my wife?"

"Yes," Sarah replied, and she nodded to reinforce her answer. Snape realised her bright blue eyes were glistening with tears. "Oh, yes, please, Professor."

Snape scowled. "You'd better call me Severus."

Sarah jumped up from her chair and went to wrap her arms around Snape's neck, hugging him tightly as she kissed his cheek. "Thank you so much, Severus. You've no idea what this means to me."

"Excellent!" Dumbledore said happily as he stared at the couple. "So now all we need to do is arrange the wedding. Obviously it will need to be sooner rather than later, as we don't want Lucius to find out. Of course time is of the essence anyway, with the clock ticking on that contract." He looked at Sarah, who had already released Snape and moved back to her chair. "I'm afraid we probably won't be able to provide a hugely fancy wedding in the time left to us, but hopefully we can manage something that won't be too much of a disappointment for you, Sarah."

Sarah smiled, looking more relaxed than she had ever since she had received the Ministry letter.

"A small wedding will be just fine, Headmaster. I've never really wanted a huge thing and I already know the dress I want, so there won't be a problem with that." She looked shyly at Snape, as if seeing him in a completely different light, then back at Dumbledore. "Would it be awful if I said I didn't want my parents there?" she asked quietly. "It's not that I don't want them to come, but they're always so busy and I'm not sure they'll be able to drop everything—and then they'll start trying to get me to re-arrange it and I'll have to tell them about Draco, and—well, you know. . . ."

"I'm sure that will perfectly all right," Dumbledore said sympathetically. "A small ceremony it is, then. Once you and Severus are married I will write to your parents and explain everything to them. I'm sure that if they are that determined to see you get married they will be happy to pay for a more glamorous ceremony once everything has calmed down." He completely ignored the scowl that Snape gave him at this comment.


	4. The Wedding

Snape and Sarah got married on 12 September 1998 in a small private ceremony that was attended by the couple and their witnesses, Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall. The only other guest was Pomona Sprout, Sarah's Head of House. They had intentionally kept it to the bare minimum, both for ease of organising and to ensure that the Malfoys didn't find out what they were doing until it was too late to stop it. There were a few people Sarah would have liked to invite, but she understood the need for secrecy so she hid her slight disappointment and made the best of it. At least she had managed to get the wedding dress of her dreams and she wasn't going to end up being stuck with the Malfoys forever.

But she couldn't help worrying that Severus didn't want to be her husband. Although he had said he was happy to marry her, she got the impression he was only doing it because he felt he ought to help her; and whilst she was grateful that he cared about her enough to do that, she couldn't help feeling a little sad that their marriage wasn't going to be a proper one. She had wondered more than once during the few days since he had asked her whether Severus' reticence was due to his lack of interest in her or whether he assumed she wouldn't be interested in being married to him. If it was the former, there was little she could do about that, at least in the short term, although hopefully once they had been together for a while he might begin to see her in a new, more favourable light. But if it was because he believed he had nothing to offer in which she would be interested, she was hopeful that she would be able to change his mind about that pretty quickly. As far as she was concerned, she was more than happy to be married to the man she had admired and learnt so much from over the previous seven years. Whilst he might seem a little old to some people, she didn't think of him that way at all. His maturity was a plus, in her opinion, and she could look beyond superficial things to see the man inside who was, she felt, perfect husband material.

Snape had been feeling a little tense in the hours before the wedding, sitting alone in his quarters debating whether what they were doing was a good idea. He knew that saving Sarah from the Malfoys was the primary concern and in that respect it was right, but he still couldn't help worrying that by tying her to him he would be ruining her life. In the short term there was nothing he could do except hold off consummating the union, giving Sarah the chance to change her mind as this had all been so rushed. Assuming she didn't change her mind, then perhaps in a few years, once everything had calmed down and she had completed her apprenticeship, he would release her, grant her a divorce so she could be free to find someone she could love rather than be stuck with an ill-tempered old husband who didn't have the temperament for marriage. He looked around his dimly-lit room and wondered whether he had been wrong to refuse new living quarters for himself and his soon-to-be wife. Then he reflected that it was better that Sarah didn't get the wrong idea and think he was forcing her into something she wasn't ready for; after all, she was still only eighteen, so it would be easier if they stayed in their current rooms, which would give them both the freedom to continue with their lives as if nothing had happened.

"I hope you don't mind, but I've arranged a little celebration for you both. Nothing too extravagant, but it seemed a shame not to mark the occasion at all," Dumbledore said after the ceremony had finished and the small party were on their way out of the registry office. His blue eyes twinkled happily as he looked at the newly married couple. "If we go back to Hogwarts, I think everything should be just about ready."

Snape scowled. "I hope you haven't gone overboard, Albus. This was supposed to be a secret, remember. And I'm sure—"

Sarah, looking radiant, laid her hand on Snape's arm to quiet him. "I'm sure whatever the Headmaster has arranged will be absolutely perfect. We should be grateful he's organised something for us, Severus. And surely it was only a secret before we married. It doesn't matter if the Malfoys find out now, does it?"

Snape still looked uneasy. "I suppose not," he admitted grudgingly. "Although the marriage isn't actually formalised legally until it's been consummated. Before then it could still be annulled if a sufficiently serious challenge were made."

Sarah gazed at her husband for a moment as if considering something, then said, "Well, that's easily settled, then."

She turned to Dumbledore, her blue eyes twinkling almost as much as his. "Headmaster, would you mind if Severus and I were a little late to your wedding celebration?"

Snape stared at her in surprise. He shook his head. "No, Sarah, that wasn't what I meant. Look, there's no need to rush this. You don't have to—"

Once again he was cut off by Sarah's tender hand on his arm, stroking and reassuring. "I don't mind," she told him quietly. "Why should we wait? We're not going to annul the marriage, are we?" Snape shook his head, looking surprised by her question. "So what's the problem? I agreed to be your wife and I meant it. That means in every way, so let's just do it." She leant towards him and whispered in his ear, "I really want this with you, Severus."

Snape couldn't help the shiver that ran through him at Sarah's words. She had told him she wanted him, and who was he to argue? He was still a little perturbed by the relationship, but if Sarah was willing to make a go of it, then so would he. He didn't want to hope that it would last, because there was no basis for that surety. But for the immediate future there was hope, and she was right—the marriage did need to be consummated if she were to remain safe from Lucius, however much Snape had thought of putting it off.

"Oh, I'm sure the celebration can wait for a few hours," Dumbledore assured them.

Knowing he had little choice, Snape capitulated. "Well, in that case, if you'll excuse us, Albus, Sarah and I will see you later."

He took Sarah's hand. "I suppose I should take you home, Sarah, show you where I live when I'm not at Hogwarts," he said huskily, a small smile gracing his lips, "If you'll allow me to Apparate us?"

Sarah grinned and nodded as he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. "Yes, please, Severus," she said happily.

Albus Dumbledore turned to talk to Minerva and Pomona, who had been having a quiet conversation about the ceremony, discussing intently their surprise at what a nice couple Sarah and Severus made and how beautiful Sarah looked in her wedding dress. Dumbledore smiled at the women and held his arms out to them.

"The happy couple will join us a little later," he said, his blue eyes positively sparkling now, "Time for us to return to the school and see that everything is in order, I think."

* * *

Sarah was a little disappointed, but unsurprised to discover that her new husband had no intention of sharing his quarters with her at Hogwarts. He had tried to explain it—something about them keeping separate identities within the school, but Sarah wasn't having any of it. Just like the consummation of the marriage, which was everything she had hoped for and more, she had no intention of living apart from Severus now they were married. She was determined to make him realise that she was serious about them being a couple, and part of that was sharing a bed—after all, they already shared his laboratory and classroom during the day, so it wasn't as if she was asking for much more.

At first Snape was resistant. Although he understood Sarah's need to consummate the marriage to ensure there could be no annulment, he was still wary of taking things too fast. And to be honest he was used to, and enjoyed, living on his own and wasn't sure he was ready for the upheaval that his new wife would cause in his life. His quarters were the one place in the school where he could go to be alone, and if Sarah moved in he would lose that refuge. It was true that there were some obvious benefits to sharing his bed with a beautiful young woman, and she seemed keen enough for the marriage to work, but his quarters were like an old friend and he didn't want to share them. Which he knew, of course, was why Albus had suggested they move into different rooms—to mark the start of their new life together in a new home that suited both of them.

When Snape refused he was trying to be honourable, not wanting to do anything that would cause him to begin to care for Sarah in a way that would be unacceptable once she ended the marriage. But everything he had seen of the woman in the few days since their wedding led him to believe that she was serious about it being a proper marriage, not in name only, and that being the case, he could understand her disappointment at his refusal to share the last bastion of his bachelorhood with her. The decision had already caused some tension between them. Sarah had retreated in a sulk when she realised he had no intention of inviting her into his bedroom, and it had carried over until today. She refused to talk to him at all unless they were in class or at the dinner table, when she had no choice.

Snape sighed and took a sip of his Firewhisky. The truth was that he didn't want to give up the rooms he had lived in for so long, but he didn't want to upset his beautiful young wife, either. And if they lived together, lived together properly, there were going to be some things he would have to discuss with her that he already knew she wouldn't be very happy about. But was the prospect of a difficult conversation really a good reason to ruin what could potentially be a great thing for him? That was what he always did, locked himself away and sabotaged anything positive, convinced after what had happened to Lily that he didn't deserve anything good in his life.

Now he was being given a second chance at life, and if he didn't take it he would be stupid. But would Sarah still want to try once she knew what he was, what he had done and would continue to do until Potter could fulfil his purpose and defeat the Dark Lord? Snape wouldn't know until he had told her, but whatever the outcome, it had to be better than him sitting here alone with a glass of whisky whilst Sarah was elsewhere, upset and angry with him.

He finished the drink and then stood and walked over to the cabinet where the whisky bottle was kept. He put the glass back beside the bottle, then looked around the room before heading for the door. He had no intention of leaving his quarters for some new and sterile place that would take him forever to settle into, but there was absolutely no reason his wife shouldn't share his bed and his life, and the sooner he told her that, the better.

* * *

Snape was surprised that nothing had been heard from the Malfoys regarding either his and Sarah's wedding or Draco's contract. He had been convinced that Lucius would contact him, furious probably about Snape's interference, and he had been ready with an explanation about how love had blossomed between him and Sarah as they worked together over the school holidays and that he had already been planning to marry her before the contract came through. But there had been no word at all.

And it wasn't as if they didn't know about it. Albus' idea of a quiet celebration apparently included not only a massive party to which the entire school and just about everyone Snape and Sarah had ever met had been invited, but a wedding notice in the _Daily Prophet_ and a rather garish half-page advert of congratulation from the Headmaster, staff, and pupils of Hogwarts. Albus had certainly gone out of his way to make Lucius know his plan had failed. In the month since the wedding every day had brought more gifts; and most surprisingly, as far as Snape was concerned, a lot of them were from his old Slytherin Death Eater colleagues.

"I'm really surprised Lucius hasn't contacted me yet," he said conversationally. They were sitting in the lounge sharing tea between classes. Sarah was reading the newspaper and sat curled up on the sofa that had been added to the wing-back chairs that had previously been the only seats in the room.

"Why would he contact you?" She looked up from the newspaper, looking at her husband interestedly.

Snape shrugged. "He must know about the wedding, yet he hasn't made any comment at all. I can't believe he hadn't spread the news about Draco's contract, amongst his friends at least, if for no other reason than to prepare them for a Muggle-born in their midst. You caused enough of a storm at the garden party, if you remember. Imagine how they would react to you being married to Draco."

"They seem to have accepted me being married to you well enough," Sarah pointed out. "They are your friends, too, aren't they?"

"Yes, but the difference is that I'm not a pure-blood. There's a lot of difference in their minds between a union between us and a union between you and the scion of one of the country's oldest pure-blood families. Even if this law becomes commonplace it will still cause uproar amongst the old guard."

"Well, perhaps they didn't tell anyone. Maybe Lucius realised there would be too much outrage so they were saving the surprise until it was over and too late for anything to be done about it, and now they can pretend it never happened." Sarah looked at Snape a little worriedly. "And we're happy for that, too, aren't we? We don't need everyone knowing that the reason we got married was because of the contract. I mean, I know the rest of the teachers are aware, but I'm sure they won't say anything."

Snape understood the subtext of the question Sarah was asking and sought to reassure her that as far as he was concerned, no one would know the reason behind their marriage.

"Well, I still don't think the Malfoys shared their news about the contract," Sarah said a few seconds later. She was wearing a wicked grin now.

"What makes you think that?" Snape asked. "And what's the smile for?"

"Oh, I think I would have heard about it by now if they had told anybody. After all, I did tell all the women at the garden party that you and I were lovers, so they would have been pretty surprised if I'd got betrothed to Draco. And I'm sure they would have said something to one of us if Lucius had mentioned the contract to them. But they won't have been at all surprised at you and me getting married."

Snape almost choked on his tea. "You told them we were lovers? What did you do that for?"

Sarah shrugged. "I'm not stupid, Severus. I know why Lucius wanted to get me alone, especially as his wife wasn't there. That's why I clung to you so tightly. But then when I got talking to all those old busy-bodies, they were all over the fact that you and I were so close. They were all desperate for a bit of gossip and I really didn't want to disappoint them, especially when they seemed so surprised that you might be in a relationship. I couldn't work out whether the prevailing opinion was that you were a monk—which some of them seemed to think—or a slut, because there was rather a lot of talk about you not liking relationships that lasted more than one night." She grinned again when Snape looked uncomfortable. "Sorry. I may have got a little carried away, but it's all worked out for the best in the end."

"How did you get carried away?" Snape asked, not at all sure he wanted to know.

Sarah laughed and winked at him. "I told them all what a fantastic lover you are. I confided to them in the _strictest confidence_ that you're considerate and gentle and that you _always_ make me come really hard. I bet none of them can say the same about their husbands. In fact, from the way they were lapping it up I'd bet most of them haven't had decent sex in years."

Snape remembered the looks he had received from the women and suddenly realised what they must have been thinking. He knew he should be annoyed at what Sarah had done but found that he couldn't. A smirk crossed his own face.

"Do you think about us making love a lot?" he asked lightly.

Sarah nodded. "Pretty much all the time since you asked me to marry you," she said honestly. "Before then it was just once or twice a day."

"Once or twice a day." Snape moved from the chair he was sitting in to join Sarah on the sofa, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her to him. It seemed like a good idea when things were flowing so well between them. "Is that all?"

Sarah wrapped her arms around him in response. "Well, I was rather busy with making potions so I had to fit my fantasies in around those, but what they lacked in quantity they most certainly made up for in quality." She nuzzled close to his ear and whispered, "They were very arousing."

"Arousing, you say," Snape said, his voice smooth and dark, thoroughly enjoying the flirting. "And are the thoughts you have all the time arousing, too?"

"Even more so," Sarah confirmed huskily. "You have no idea what you do to me, Severus."

Snape wasn't sure whether his wife was talking about fantasy or reality at that moment, but he really didn't care. What he wanted to do was take her through to their bedroom and make love to her, but he couldn't. He had a class to teach and not enough time to ensure her pleasure before he went. He gave a small groan and planted a chaste kiss on her lips.

"Sadly, I have to break up this rather enjoyable interlude as I have a class waiting for me, so you're just going to have to keep thinking for a little while longer. But perhaps later, once school is finished for the day, you can tell me more about these thoughts you have all the time."

"It's a shame you can't skive off lessons," Sarah said seductively.

Snape kissed her again. "Whilst I'm sure time spent with you would be infinitely more interesting and stimulating than teaching Potions to the second year Slytherins and Gryffindors, it wouldn't set a very good example, would it?"

Sarah pulled his head down and kissed him, more passionately this time. "Let's just hope this afternoon doesn't go too slowly."


	5. Christmas

It seemed that Sarah was correct and Draco's contract with her hadn't been made public. No word ever reached Snape that anyone outside of the teachers was aware of it, which he knew would have happened if the gossips had discovered it. When Sarah contacted the Ministry of Magic to confirm her marriage to him and cancel the contract with Draco she discovered there was no longer any record of a contract. Somehow Lucius had had the whole affair quietly expunged from Ministry records. Although that should have made Snape feel easier, it didn't. Whilst Lucius may have retreated from this battle, Snape had no doubt Lucius would find a way to pay him back for what he had done. Lucius was a man of voracious appetites, and the loss of Sarah—who was, it had to be admitted, absolutely exquisite—would have been a bitter blow. He would surely be seeking some sort of revenge for his loss.

Snape didn't voice his concerns to Sarah, though. There was no point in worrying her about this; she already worried about him enough since he had admitted to her that he was a spy for Dumbledore. Amazingly, she didn't seem to be anywhere near as surprised as he had expected. She explained to him that she had wondered about that when she had seen him at Grimmauld Place back in her fifth year; it seemed odd that he would be a member of the Order of the Phoenix when everyone was so convinced he was a Death Eater. He knew she wasn't happy about the danger it put him in on a fairly regular basis, but even Snape's assertion that he would continue in the role and do whatever was required to help Potter fulfil his destiny against Voldemort hadn't ruined Sarah's desire to stay married to him. She even asked to become a member of the Order to aid him in any way she could. And so at last he began to relax and really enjoy his blossoming relationship with his pretty young wife, knowing that their union was no longer just because of the contract.

Snape knew Lucius was still furious with him, though. Normally he would have expected to have contact with and spend time with his old friend at least once a month; they usually met for drinks and to keep each other abreast of what was going on in their respective spheres, not to mention the odd visit to the school for various reasons on Lucius' part. But since the wedding Lucius hadn't spoken to Snape at all, not even a brief message via owl, and there had definitely been no congratulations on his marriage. Snape wondered a couple of times whether he should contact Lucius and force the unpleasant conversation that was going to happen eventually, but in truth he was having too much fun spending time with Sarah to bother worrying about Lucius and his jealousy. It was for this reason that he was surprised to receive an invitation for him and Sarah to attend the Malfoys' Christmas party.

He had been reticent about going. It would be the first time he and Sarah had gone anywhere outside the school as husband and wife. He didn't have a problem with this except he didn't want Sarah exposed to Lucius' bitterness; Snape wondered whether his friend would be able to hide his displeasure when he saw them together. On the other hand, assuming Narcissa would be there this time, it should be a relatively safe evening as she wouldn't allow Lucius anywhere near Sarah, at least not in public; and Snape wouldn't allow Lucius anywhere near her in private. Additionally, everyone would expect them to attend. Snape was sure that all the wives were eager to talk to his wife again after her bombshell of the summer, desperate, he was sure, to know how she had managed to finally tie down the elusive Potions Master when so many others over the years had tried and failed. He wasn't sure what Sarah would tell them, but he suspected it would be entertaining, and knowing her as he had come to do quite well over the last few months, fairly salacious.

Sarah felt they should attend. She knew they had to face Lucius some time, and a public party where hopefully there would be too many other guests for him to cause a scene would probably be the best place. However, once again she made Snape promise not to leave her alone with Lucius, or with Narcissa. She had no idea whether Lucius' wife knew about what had happened or why but she wasn't willing to chance it. She didn't want a potentially nasty confrontation with the woman.

The party actually turned out to be quite enjoyable, and although it might have been noticeable to someone who knew them well that Lucius wasn't quite as friendly with Snape as had always been the case in the past, he and Narcissa, who was very much in attendance at this party dressed in a festive and obviously very expensive dress of red velvet and white fur, were polite in their few dealings with Snape and Sarah.

As anticipated, Sarah was commandeered by the matrons almost as soon as the Snapes arrived. The women clamoured to hear details of the wedding and what had prompted Snape to finally tie the knot when he had been so unwilling to even consider it previously. He wanted to stay nearby and listen, interested in hearing what Sarah was going to tell them after she disappointed them with the news that it wasn't pregnancy that had caused this sudden desire for wedded bliss; but he was drawn away into his own conversation about the marriage with various of the husbands of the women who were so vociferously questioning his wife.

The men weren't as interested in the reasons for the marriage, though. They all assumed Snape had a good reason for marrying Sarah rather than just taking her as a lover, and they clearly felt that reason was none of their business. For them the fact that Snape was bedding such a beautiful young woman was enough to prompt their congratulations, their interest more focused on what the Snapes did in bed and whether they could gain any details about that. Snape considered taking a leaf out of his wife's book and providing salacious snippets that would leave the bored, middle-aged men jealous of his good fortune, but decided against it in case the conversation should come to Lucius' attention. Instead he disappointed the men by remaining vague about Sarah's sexual acumen whilst pointing out her aptitude for potion-making as the reason she was a good match for him. If Sarah wanted to tell the matrons all about their sex life, she could. His friends could hear it from their wives, not from him.

Snape looked up from a conversation he was having with some friends from the Ministry of Magic about changes happening there in light of the Dark Lord's take-over, suddenly worried about where Sarah was. Although he was sure Lucius wouldn't be able to do anything to her—Narcissa was, as expected, clinging to her husband like a limpet wherever he attempted to go—he didn't like leaving Sarah alone, especially as he had promised her he wouldn't. A quick glance around the room didn't reveal her whereabouts, although Lucius and Narcissa were still there talking to the Minister for Magic, Pius Thicknesse. Snape felt he exuded an air of creepiness, and not just because the man had been put under the Imperius Curse so many times. Worried about where Sarah had got to, Snape excused himself and began to search the room more thoroughly, taking care to ensure that his face remained neutral. He didn't want anyone, especially Lucius, to know that he was anxious.

Sarah, who had finally managed to escape the chattering women, had headed out of the main room and into the dining room, moving quickly towards the buffet table, intending to get some food. She took a glass of wine from a house-elf on the way and walked the length of the beautifully laid out table deciding what she was going to have to eat. Having made her decision, and gratefully accepting the now full plate offered by yet another house-elf, she turned to look for somewhere to sit whilst she ate. The problem was that whilst there were a lot of tables in the dining hall, she knew few people at the party except for Severus and some of the Slytherins she had been at school with, and she felt a little self-conscious about joining a table full of strangers. She hadn't wanted to be left alone at the party, but when she had seen Severus so deep in conversation with some serious-looking men she hadn't wanted to interrupt him and so had come to find some food instead.

Sitting at a table with several empty bottles of champagne in front of them and looking as if they were bored stiff were Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini. Whilst they probably weren't ideal company, especially if they were drunk, she did at least know them and there were several free seats at the table; and there really was nowhere else she could go. It was unlikely, given the festive atmosphere, that they would be too unpleasant to her; and perhaps she could gauge how Lucius was feeling if she talked to Draco, who she was certain wasn't at all bothered by her marriage to Severus. So she joined the men and discovered they were attempting to keep away from Pansy and her gaggle of friends, who were apparently roaming the rooms of Malfoy Manor with mistletoe, searching for unsuspecting victims. Sarah found herself sympathising with the men, knowing what a harridan Pansy could be when she chose. She found herself gradually drawn into a quite interesting conversation with them about what they had been up to since leaving Hogwarts and recounted her own adventures, both career-wise and marriage-wise.

Snape's heart was beginning to beat faster when he finally found Sarah sitting at a table in the dining room with Draco and Blaise. For a moment he recalled the Summer Ball and the way the younger Malfoy had acted towards Sarah, which put Snape on his guard immediately. But as he looked at the three of them he could see they were chatting away quite happily as if they had been friends for years. Naturally a suspicious man, he looked around to see if Lucius was behind it in some way, but it appeared the trio really were just talking. This made Snape wonder whether Draco had known about the contract or whether it was something Lucius had organised without even telling his son. Whatever the case, it wasn't something he could discuss in front of Blaise. He was bored now, and eager to get his wife away from both the Malfoys and the party and to get back to their quarters so they could do a little partying of their own in private.

Sarah was more than happy to leave the party. Her conversation with Draco and Blaise had been interesting but was somewhat limited in scope, and there was no one else she wanted to talk to. She and Snape went to find Lucius and Narcissa to take their leave, finally braving the senior Malfoys' possible anger, but both were still being the consummate hosts and were perfectly pleasant, if a touch icy, even showing regret when Snape said they had to get back to the school because he was on hall duty that night. Lucius apologised to him for being somewhat busy of late and added that he would contact him early in the new year to go for a drink and catch up, and Snape agreed that he would look forward to it. On that polite note he and Sarah left the party, feeling somehow as if they'd had a lucky escape.

"Blaise is a nice man, you know," Sarah said when they had returned to the school. Snape had just mentioned his surprise at seeing her talking to her old Slytherin colleagues. "I don't think he has a single vindictive bone in his body. When I was at school I always thought it strange that he went round with Draco and his thugs and that he was put in Slytherin. I'm sure he'd have made a better Hufflepuff."

Snape shook his head. "Whilst Mr Zabini is indeed very easy-going and doesn't share the same prejudices that afflict his friends, he has exactly the sort of cunning and determination that make up a Slytherin—and of course the pure-blood breeding that's required."

Sarah frowned. "But you're not pure-blood and yet you're a Slytherin, so surely that doesn't really matter, does it?"

Snape said nothing as he poured two glasses of brandy, looking serious as he handed Sarah one of them. He sat down next to her on the sofa.

"Whilst I wasn't pure-blood, my mother was from a very old pure-blood line. She instilled in me from a very young age the importance of that just as much as the Malfoys or any of the other old families do with their children. No one would have known I wasn't pure-blood from my attitude when I joined the school. My only desire was to be in Slytherin, to forget about the blood of my father who had tainted our perfect pure-blood line."

Sarah looked at Snape in surprise. "But you don't believe in all that pure-blood supremacy stuff, do you, Severus?" she asked quietly. "I thought—"

Snape shook his head and took hold of her free hand, stroking it gently. "I didn't have a very good childhood, Sarah. My mother fell in love with a Muggle and he didn't treat her very well. He didn't like me because I was different, because I was magical like she was. I had hoped that school and being a Slytherin would give me the identity I needed, would restore us back to what we had been before my father had weakened us. It was idiotic and immature and unfortunately led to my doing some stupid and bad things which I have no desire to speak of or even think about any more. It caused me to lose the best friend I ever had and the girl I loved more than anything else the world. But all that changed me and made me realise that blood isn't important—people are important. I am a Slytherin, and proud to be so, but I do not judge people by who their relatives are." He gave a small grin and added, "Except in the case of the Malfoys. It's always good to know who you're dealing with, where they're concerned."

Sarah looked at Snape, debating whether to question him further. She was interested to know who the girl was who he had loved. Was she the reason he had never been in a relationship? Certainly from what the matrons at the Malfoys' party had told her he had never appeared interested in any woman in a long term way, even though plenty of them had been quite taken with him over the years. But he had just told her that he didn't even want to think about it, let alone talk about it, so it wasn't worth potentially starting an argument just because she was inquisitive. Perhaps in years to come, when he was more settled with her, he would share his secrets with her, once he knew he could trust her. Until then she would wait happily knowing that however their marriage may have started, Severus really was beginning to care for her.

"Was anything mentioned about the marriage?" Snape asked curiously.

Sarah nodded her head. "They both congratulated me, although Blaise said he couldn't understand why I would want to marry you." She grinned when Snape scowled. "I was tempted to tell him it was because you were so good in bed but I thought I'd better not, just in case it got back to Lucius and wound him up. Anyway, Draco didn't seem to be that fussed, which isn't too surprising as I'm sure he didn't want to marry me."

"Hmm. I was wondering whether he actually knew about the contract," Snape said. "It occurred to me when I saw the two of you talking that Lucius might have arranged it without even telling him."

"No, I'm sure he knew," Sarah replied. "He said something to me about the best man winning or something, but quietly, so Blaise couldn't hear. I think he was telling me he knew without it being brought up in conversation. Anyway, it was quite interesting to talk to them. Draco's thinking of becoming an Auror; and Blaise's mother has just married again, for the ninth time, and she's given him some huge vineyard in Italy. He intends to move over there and take over the running of it. Says he thinks it'll be relaxing. All he needs is to find 'bellissima donna' and he'll be happy." She sighed wistfully. "Wouldn't it be lovely to own a nice vineyard in Italy? I could be happy there, too."

Snape looked at Sarah keenly for a moment before saying, "Sadly, all I can offer you is a dungeon home in a draughty Scottish castle and a ramshackle house in a dingy town in northern England. Perhaps you would be better off leaving me for Mr Zabini. After all, you definitely are a very beautiful woman."

"You're not getting rid of me that easily, Severus Snape," Sarah said as she put her glass down on the coffee table and wrapped her arms around her husband, pulling him close for a kiss. "I already have the tall, dark man I want—and for your information, I have some very good memories of that ramshackle house, especially the bedroom."

"And the dungeon home?" Snape asked lightly, his eyebrows rising playfully.

"I'm thinking tonight might be a great memory," Sarah confided in a whisper as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "To add to all the others I already have."

She gave him a long, tender kiss, then sighed happily as Snape picked her up and carried her towards the bedroom.


	6. Valentine's Day Again

A/N: _So we're finally at the end. Thank you to everyone who has read this far, has favourited or followed the story, reviewed and just generally enjoyed it. Thank you too to my beta Mamacita. She's a real star._

* * *

Snape lay in his classroom trying to get his body to move. If he could at least get to his office he would have access to his potions. He had been hit by, and was still recovering from, several attacks of the Cruciatus Curse that had come in quite close succession. Even now he wasn't sure how many times he had been hit; the pain had shut down his mind to protect him during the excruciating blows. The Dark Lord had been in a particularly bad mood; he was upset about many things and had shown his displeasure with everyone, not just Snape. However, thanks to a few choice words from Lucius Snape had become a particular target for Voldemort's attention. Snape's marriage to Sarah, whilst not hugely important to the tyrant's plans, had been a big enough source of annoyance to merit the extra attention.

What Lucius' actions at the meeting and the subsequent punishment had taught Snape was that the way he had acted against Lucius, stifling his dreams of power, had definitely not been forgiven or forgotten, whatever the man had said when they had met up for drinks back in January. But at least Snape had survived. One of the others had not been so lucky. Snape had no idea what the man had or more likely hadn't done, but even with the pain he was in he had to feel fortunate to still be one of Voldemort's favoured ones, to be needed. It didn't stop him from silently cursing Lucius Malfoy though. He was glad the blond man, too, had felt the Dark Lord's wrath; even he hadn't escaped unscathed. Snape groaned as his body twitched in pain. He didn't know how long he had been lying here but fervently wished his Portkey had been set to take him to the Hospital Wing rather than to this cold and private classroom deep in the dungeons of the school.

At some point he heard a noise. Snape had been drifting in and out of consciousness for some time so he had no idea whether it was minutes or hours after his return. The pain continued just as strongly as it ever had. Although he knew the noise was unlikely to be a foe as he was safely in Hogwarts—which was, at least for the time being, still impenetrable to the Dark Lord and his followers—he wasn't keen to be discovered in such a weak position. Just because he was on safe ground didn't mean he didn't have any enemies. He lay as still as he could manage and tried not to make a sound, which took a considerable amount of concentration as the after-effects of the Unforgivable Curses continued to rage through his body.

As he waited, listening, a door opened somewhere in the room and a figure crept silently and almost furtively across the floor towards his desk, then stopped. For a moment Snape held his breath, wondering if they had discovered him lying on the floor and waiting to see whether they would help or attack. Instead, after a few seconds there was a gentle noise he didn't recognise, perhaps the sound of someone pushing something gently across the desk, and the intruder began to move away. Snape's concentration faltered and before he knew it he was moaning softly, his body contracting involuntarily from the curse that still ravaged his system. The soft footsteps, which had already ceased before the moan that would have alerted the person to his plight, had resumed, now sounding much more purposeful as the intruder came back towards the desk and rounded it. Then someone was grabbing at Snape and pulling him up off the floor.

"Severus!" Sarah cried, tears forming in her eyes when she saw her husband lying there shaking. "What's happened to you? I've been so worried about where you'd got to and why you didn't come back."

She was crying now as she witnessed the agony her husband was so clearly in. She held him gently, plastering kisses on his face. After a moment she laid him slowly back onto the floor and ran to his office, searching desperately for a potion that would help to ease his pain. Panic that he would succumb to his injuries made her fearful and clumsy-fingered as she rifled through the dozens of bottles. After what seemed like an eternity, but was in fact less than two minutes, she found one and returned to his side. She roused him from the stupor he had once again fallen into and pulled him into a sitting position, her firm grip keeping him upright. Slowly she helped him to drink the mixture.

Snape felt his body ease somewhat as the torturous pain that had been so much a part of him for what seemed like forever finally began to subside. Still holding him close, Sarah rocked him and crooned words intended to soothe and heal, massaging his shoulders as she attempted to stop his pained muscles from cramping. With the pain relief provided by the potion spreading throughout his body and Sarah's soft hands easing his muscles it wasn't long before Snape began to feel a little better. In truth, his body was so used to the curses after so many years in the Dark Lord's service that he was actually able to throw them off relatively quickly once he had access to the potion to block out the pain.

"What were you doing in here?" he asked his wife once he was recovered enough to talk.

He had no idea why Sarah was in his classroom at this time of the morning but he was awfully glad she was, otherwise the pain would have lasted considerably longer. He had been too injured to get to the potion himself and might have ended up lying there, undiscovered, until breakfast. Perhaps she had heard the noise of his return and come to investigate, but that didn't seem quite right. It was unlikely that if Sarah had been in bed she would have heard his return, even if he had made a huge amount of noise; it was far too removed from the classroom. And now as he looked at her she blushed, her face crimson as if she had been caught out in some wrongdoing. Without responding to his question she helped him to stand, pulling the chair out from under his desk in case he needed it. As he sat down, Snape looked at the desk and saw placed upon it a perfect blood-red rose and an envelope. He looked questioningly at his wife.

"Was this you?" he asked gently, pulling the card towards him.

Sarah looked at him with tears in her eyes. "Yes," she replied quietly. "It was always me."

As Snape gazed at Sarah once more he felt a wave of desire stronger than any he had ever felt course through his entire being. His beautiful wife was his secret admirer!

He finally understood why she had been so happy to agree to their marriage and why she had been so sure she wanted to consummate it immediately rather than wait. And no wonder she had been so upset when he had tried to keep her at arm's length. It must have been a huge frustration for her. Thank Merlin he had changed his mind about that—and it was definitely one of the better decisions he had made in his life, if not the best. Pulling her down onto his lap, he wrapped his arms around her tense body and held on to her tightly, their lips meeting in a passionate kiss that lasted for some minutes. He was pleased to feel her begin to relax in his arms, her worry draining away as the kissing continued. Suddenly the door opened and Dumbledore walked into the room, smiling broadly.

"Are you all right, Severus?" he asked, the smile dropping a little as he looked at his friend in concern.

"I'm fine, Albus," Snape replied, "just recovering from a few bouts of the Cruciatus Curse. Fortunately Sarah found me and gave me a pain-relieving potion." He smiled lovingly at his wife.

Dumbledore smiled again. "It was fortunate that she just happened to be passing."

Snape snorted loudly. "You know exactly why she was here, old man," he said affectionately.

Dumbledore looked at the desk and laughed. "Ah, yes, Severus. I see that St Valentine has once again favoured you with a visit." He positively beamed this time.

"You did know it was Sarah, didn't you?" Snape asked.

Sarah looked from one man to the other in confusion. Had the Headmaster known she was leaving Severus the roses every year?

"Not for sure," Dumbledore admitted, shaking his head. "I was telling the truth when I told you I didn't know, although I have to admit that I did have my suspicions. For starters, I noticed that Sarah was late to breakfast every Valentine's Day, and she spent a lot of time trying to be wherever you were. Couple that with her love of Potions and it was a good basis for a guess. Of course, as soon as you were married it was obvious."

"I can cover your classes for today," he continued, looking at the still cuddling couple. "Go to your rooms and rest. We can discuss the meeting tonight, Severus, once you've recovered fully."

Standing, Snape picked up the rose and card, and with his arm still around Sarah he made his way slowly through the office and back into their private quarters. Sarah helped him onto the bed and undressed him, then summoned a house-elf to get them some breakfast and tea and joined him on the bed. He laid the rose carefully on the coverlet and lifted the flap of the envelope, pulling out the plain hammered cream card that he had known would be within. It was identical to all the other cards he had received except that this one had a slightly stronger version of the scent he had been able to detect last year. Of course now he realised exactly what it was—it was his wife's fragrance, but so subtle as to be hardly noticeable. He pulled Sarah close and kissed her once again.

The house-elf delivered a feast: bacon, eggs, sausages, mushrooms, toast and marmalade, and a large pot of boiling hot tea. Sarah piled Severus's plate with food and poured him a cup of tea, then returned to the bed and presented them to him. She then followed suit for herself. Once they had finished eating and drinking she piled the crockery on the dresser, expecting her husband to go to sleep since she knew he must be completely shattered after the long night and the terrible pain he had suffered, although she was pleased to see that he appeared to be recovering well enough. Instead, Snape got up and walked towards her carrying the rose and card.

"I need to show you something," he whispered. Brushing her arm and taking hold of her hand, he led her into to his laboratory and over to a small cabinet that was hidden away in a corner of the room. He whispered a few words and the cabinet doors opened. There, in a crystal vase, were the six other roses Sarah had given him. Each one was preserved and still as perfect as the day it was given. Beside the vase was a small, ornately carved wooden box, and Severus opened it to reveal Sarah's cards from years past, wrapped in a green silk ribbon.

Sarah gasped in amazement and felt her eyes glisten with tears. Snape placed the rose in the vase with the others and gently undid the ribbon to add the card to the pile, which he then carefully re-wrapped. When the cabinet was resealed and hidden once more, he pulled his wife to him and kissed her tenderly.

"I always hoped they weren't a joke," he said gruffly.

Then, slowly, he led his beautiful wife back to the bedroom, back to the comfort of their bed.


End file.
